


Time Twins

by abaikgirl



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Grunkle4Grandpa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:08:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26934871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abaikgirl/pseuds/abaikgirl
Summary: THIS IS A G4G AU. Originally posted on tumblr in 2016. Ford has come through the portal and it's revealed that not only has Stan been lying about his name, he's also been lying about being the twins' grandfather. Now as Dipper struggles to accept this new reality, he runs off and meets two familiar and peculiar people.
Relationships: Dipper Pines & Ford Pines & Mabel Pines & Stan Pines, Ford Pines & Stan Pines, Jesus "Soos" Alzamirano Ramirez & Stan Pines
Kudos: 7





	1. Dipper, Meet Dipper

**Author's Note:**

> So, I wrote this back in 2016, inspired by the Future Dipper and Far Future Dipper entries in "Dipper and Mabel's Guide" and I never finished it, but if I post it here maybe I'll get up the energy to write the last chapter. Anyway, enjoy!

Dipper had left the shack with slow, angry steps, his shoes punctuating the ground with deliberate force as they carried him farther and farther from the looming structure. Then as time went on his steps became faster and faster and before he knew it he was running full tilt through the evergreen forest. He didn’t know where he was going and it didn’t really matter. As long as it was away from the Shack. 

He didn’t care how many times ‘Grunkle Stan’ tried to explain, or how many times Mabel tried to coax him into accepting the situation, his anger would not be doused by their words. How could he have missed the signs? The clues? Looking back it was so obvious and he felt so stupid. He should have known there was something more going on than Stan let on. 

So, frustrated and feeling betrayed he snuck out late at night and took off in the forest. Maybe he could hitch a ride back home. Or go to Pacifica’s (if anyone knew what it was like to have a hypocritical and deceitful family it was her) or maybe he could just go to the lake and think it over…

Before he could make a decision he heard a sharp crack somewhere in the distance and he skidded to a halt. He strained his ears, struggling to hear over his own labored breath. Maybe running hadn’t been such a good idea. There was a slight rustle of the trees and it was hard to tell if it was the wind or something more sinister. Dipper swallowed hard, attempting to wet his dry throat and peered into the darkness. “H-hello? Is someone there?”

Silence was the reply and he shook his head. Just hearing things. He made to continue on, the idea of going to Northwest Manor was becoming more appealing by the second, but before he took more than a few steps there was a loud roar behind him. Dipper turned and screamed as he saw a massive Gremgoblin barreling towards him. Whether it was the same one he had captured before or a different one he couldn’t tell and in the heat of the moment he didn’t have time to think on it. 

He took off running, faster now thanks to the added incentive of not wanting to be torn to shreds. The Gremgoblin kept after the boy, closing the gap between them with little effort. Dipper make a hard right, leaving the path and running into the denser woods in an attempt to throw the creature. It didn’t work. 

Massive claws swiped at the trees and felled them with a single blow, clearing the way. Dipper yelled as he dodged the falling aspens. He avoided the first few, but when the Gremgoblin smashed a pine out of the way, it fell right on top of the small boy, pinning him to the ground. Dipper whimpered in terror as he tried to free himself but the tree was too big and heavy and he watched helplessly as the Gremgoblin lumbered closer to him. 

“Help!” He yelled, vainly hoping someone would hear. “Someone please! HELP!” 

The Gremgoblin raised its massive claws, but before it could deliver the killing blow a blue blast of light shot out of the darkness and burned a hole in it’s shoulder. Squealing in pain, the creature backed away, red eyes searching for the attacker. Dipper watched in awe as a tall figure came into sight, firing several more shots until the Gremgoblin was driven back into the night. 

With the animal gone, Dipper returned his attention to the tree pinning him down. He was grateful to the stranger for helping him, but he didn’t know if he would be the next target. The man was tall and wore a pair of goggles over his eyes. His trench coat had a high collar with glowing blue lights on it. The fashion reminded Dipper of the future Globnar he and Mabel had fought through. Was this person from that future?

“Hold still, I’ll get you out,” he said, his voice deep but strangely familiar. Lifting the tree up, the man held it until Dipper had squirmed out from under it. 

“Um…thanks,” Dipper muttered. “For a second there I thought I was a gonner.”

“What are you doing out here?” the man asked. Dipper could feel his glare through the goggles. 

“What do you mean?”

Removing the goggles, the man scowled at him. “This isn’t how I remember it happening,” he declared. Pushing the goggles up on his forehead, they moved his dark and messy hair out of the way, revealing a birthmark that looked exactly like the big dipper. 

“You’re,” Dipper stammered, realization dawning on him. “You’re me!”

His face was no longer round and soft with baby fat, but more square. His nose was bigger too, reminding Dipper of Grunkle Stan. The part he most noticed was his eyes. Dark and brown, they seemed tired and filled with worry, as if a million problems were being calculated behind them all at once. Which was probably exactly what was going on, Dipper concluded. 

“I didn’t leave the shack in my timeline,” Future Dipper continued. “Unless I got the day wrong. How long ago did the portal open?”

“A…a few hours I guess,” Dipper replied. “Woah, I’m tall,” he marveled, circling around his future self. He had broad shoulders and was a little on the hefty side, kind of like Stan. “And I look great. Are we finally cool and famous and stuff?” he asked, anxious to know about his future persona.

Future Dipper wilted a little. “Um…no. I’m only eighteen and it’s hard to be anything but terrified when you’re leading a one man rebellion against an alien tyrant.”

Mulling over this statement, Dipper remembered the strange notes written in the journal he and Mabel had made. “So are you Future me or Farther in the Future me?” 

Future Dipper shuddered. “Future Us, of course,” he declared. “Farther in the Future Us is….” he shuddered again. “Let’s not talk about it. We need to get you back to the Shack and figure out why events are different now.”

Backing away, Dipper made an X motion with his hands. “No way man, I am NOT going back there.”

Rubbing his tired eyes, Future Dipper sighed. “Look, I know things are really crazy right now, but trust me, the last place you want to be is out here.”

“Why’s that?” Dipper asked, intrigued more than concerned. 

“It’s just that…Um…” He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “How do I explain this without potentially ruining the established time line?” he asked to no one in particular. 

“For someone who’s looking to change the past you seem awfully concerned with continuity,” a voice drawled from the darkness. Both Dippers turned towards the voice. A man strolled towards them and in the light of the full moon Dipper could tell it was another version of himself. This one was just as tall as Future Dipper but he seemed thinner, more like Ford, and his eyes had dark rims around them as if he hadn’t slept in days. 

Stepping so he was between the new arrival and Dipper, Future Dipper scowled. “Why don’t you just mind your own timeline for once?” he snarled. His bark was fiercer than he actually felt, because Dipper could see his hand shaking as he reached for his laser gun. 

Farther in the Future Dipper smiled and gave a lazy shrug. “I can’t help it if your idiotic endeavors cross paths with mine. The time line is always rearranging itself these days so it’s hard to schedule things.” He peered around Future Dipper to look at the youngest version present. “Hey there, nice to meet you.” He laughed. “Kind of strange saying hi to my past self.” There was something more sophisticated about him than Future Dipper, who seemed as jittery and antsy as Dipper did in the present. An air of self confidence and ease exuded from Far Future Dipper’s presence and Dipper wanted to be like him with every fiber of his being. But at the same time, he was terrified of him. 

Unlike Future Dipper who wore a glowing trench coat and goggles, Far Future Dipper wore dark clothes that had no fancy lights or ornamentation on them except for the time symbol from Blendin’s measuring tape time machine. Black gloves covered his hands and his hair was a big longer than either of the younger Dippers’, hanging down over his birthmark. 

“Sorry to cut this short, but we were just leaving,” Future Dipper snapped. “Come on, we’re going back to the Shack.”

Future Dipper grabbed his younger self by the arm, dragging him away, but he wriggled out of his grasp. “I said I’m not going back there,” he cried. 

Farther Future Dipper came up from behind, putting his hands on his younger selves’ shoulders. “Of course not. Not after what happened with our sister and so-called grunkle. I don’t know why I didn’t run away in my timeline too.”

Future Dipper looked from Dipper to Farther Future Dipper with terror and frustration. “We need to move now,” he insisted, checking his watch. “We can’t be out here when it happens.”

“What?” Dipper asked. “When what happens?”

“It’s complicated…”

Dipper growled in frustration. “Why does everyone say that? Even my future self doesn’t think I can handle anything!”

“Yes, Future Dip,” the eldest Dipper drawled with a smile. “Why don’t you trust our younger self?”

Future Dipper stomped his foot. “It’s not about trusting it’s about knowing what to say,” he yelled. “I really can’t explain right now but if we don’t get going we’re all going to be dead or worse.”

Dipper felt his anger subside, replaced by fear. “What do you mean ‘or worse’?”

“Let’s go,” Future Dipper said, grabbing his younger self by the wrist again. The eldest Dipper grabbed his arm and from the way he flinched, Dipper could tell his grip was considerably stronger in the future. 

“What makes you think you can just rewrite the future?” Far Future Dipper asked. “As if you know best? I told you–everything is great now. Don’t ruin the future just because you’re unhappy with the present.”

Future Dipper scowled in pain as Farther Future Dipper twisted his arm. “What are you going to do?” he challenged his older self. “Shoot me? If you kill past me then you won’t exist anymore.”

Dipper tried to back away from both of them, but the oldest version of himself had his other vice grip on his shoulder. 

“You asked why I can’t seem leave you alone,” Far Future Dipper continued, ignoring his slightly younger selves’ challenge. “To tell you the truth it’s because I’m here to interfere with you interfering with him.” He nodded towards Dipper. “And since you asked, yes, I am willing to do that at any cost.” He let go and shoved Future Dipper back. “Now, little Dipper and I have important things to discuss, so why don’t you go play with your tape measure or something?”

Future Dipper’s face turned red with embarrassment and anger. “It’s a time device,” he yelled. “Just because I haven’t figured out how to make my own yet doesn’t mean I’m any less than you!”

Dipper gazed up at Farther Future Dipper. “That’s right! You wrote that in my journal! We figure out how to make our own time machine? That’s so cool!”

“It’s really easy,” Oldest Dipper insisted. “But let’s talk about you. You’re changing time all on your own.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Dipper grumbled. “I was just tired of being lied to by my family.”

“But what about the Author?” Future Dipper interjected. “Don’t you have questions for him?”

Oldest Dipper glared at his younger self. “I think we have all the answers we need. How about we let time work itself out and just let him go to Pacifica’s or the lake or wherever he ends up going?”

Dipper made to ask how he knew that and then remembered– _Right, he is me, of course he knows what I’m thinking._

“It’s coming right now,” Future Dipper insisted. “If we hurry we can get back to the Shack before real trouble shows up.”

 _But if the timeline is different now then how can he know where I wanted to go?_ Dipper thought, ignoring his older self. 

“We don’t know the timing of anything anymore,” Oldest Dipper insisted. “Why don’t I give you a lift back to your timeline? No need to hang around here anymore.”

Dipper looked up at Far in the Future Dipper and felt sick. _Unless he’s lying about his timeline,_ he thought. The words of the third journal came swimming back to him. _Trust no one!_

“I think I’d better go with Future Me,” Dipper declared, backing away from his oldest self. 

“What?” Far Future Dipper cried. “But, Dip, we were just getting to the good part.”

“I’d rather play it safe, you know,” Dipper insisted. “Especially after than gremgoblin. I’m sure I can run away tomorrow when it’s light out.”

Future Dipper smirked. “There, I knew I would see reason,” he gloated. 

“I am much more foolish than I remember,” Oldest Dipper growled, pulling a gun from his jacket. “I guess hindsight isn’t 20/20.” He aimed it at Dipper who gaped at him. 

“Whoa, hold on a second. We just said you can’t kill us because then you wouldn’t exist,” Dipper stammered. 

“Well then who would come and kill you?” Farther Future Dipper replied as if they were discussing the weather. “Paradoxes are real lifesavers sometimes.” He fired his weapon and missed, only thanks to Future Dipper pulling youngest Dipper out of harm's way. Oldest Dipper took another shot, this one grazing Future Dipper on the shoulder. “I won’t have you two messing up our plans,” he growled, drawing closer. His gun glowed red as it built up energy. “Again.”

Dipper stared into the barrel, convinced this was the end. Future Dipper pulled out his Time Device and flicked the end of the tape measure. They winked away and reappeared just as Far Future Dipper’s shot buried itself in a tree behind them. “What?” he snarled. “How did you–?”

“Jumped one second forward,” Future Dipper replied. “Basic stuff really.” Taking advantage of his stunned state, Future Dipper punched his older self in the face with a left hook Dipper felt sure Stan had taught them. “Let’s go!” Future and Present Dipper ran off into the forest, the frustrated screams of Farther Future Dipper echoing behind them. 

“Don’t think I’m done,” he shrieked. “I’ll stop you! I’ll stop you both no matter what it takes!”

“When did we become such a drama queen?” Dipper asked as he struggled to keep pace with his future self.

Future Dipper shrugged. “I think we are already, it just comes out more when you go evil.”


	2. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper brings his future self home and things get...interesting.

Mabel didn’t know why she woke up. One minute she was having a strange dream and the next she was awake, staring at the ceiling of the living room, whose structural integrity was questionable now. Stan had declared the attic unsafe for the twins and insisted they sleep in the living room until they get things fixed up. The whole evening had been strange. With the opening of the portal, the return of Stan’s secret brother and the absolute explosion of rage from Dipper she wondered if she had dreamed it all. 

Rolling over in her sleeping bag, she looked to where her brother was sleeping. “Bro, are you awake?” she asked. Then she gasped as she realized Dipper was gone. All that was next to her was an empty sleeping bag and the pine tree trucker hat her brother always wore. Sitting up she looked around for him. Maybe he went to the bathroom? To get a drink of water? “Dipper?” she called, getting up. 

She checked the kitchen and bathroom, clutching his hat in her hands for comfort. Confusion quickly turned to panic as she remembered the angry words he had screamed at Stan. 

“I can’t believe you would hide this from us! All this time! You lied to us all summer and you expect us to just forgive you because you…because you’re actually our grandfather? What about our dad? How could you just leave him? I hate you! I hate you Stan!”

Mabel had kept the optimistic hope that Dipper would sleep it off and come around in the morning, like he did with most of his outbursts, but finding her twin missing led her to believe that he had taken to the nuclear option and run away. 

“Stan!” she cried running down the hall. “Stan wake up!”

She banged on his bedroom door and waited, bouncing nervously. Tired of waiting she made to open the door when Stan answered, rubbing his tired eyes. “Mabel? It’s two in the morning.”

“Dipper’s gone,” she cried. “Quick, we have to go after him!”

“Wait, what? Gone where?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, tears welling up in her eyes. “But I checked everywhere and he’s not here!” 

“Hey, hey, calm down sweetie,” Stan said, putting his big hands on her shoulders. “We’ll find him, just calm down.”

“He went into the forest,” a deep voice stated behind them. Mabel and Stan looked up to see Stanford, the real Grunkle Stan, standing in the doorway of the front door. He had been sitting on the porch, his body still on the irregular sleep schedule he had developed on the other side of the portal. 

Stan could have slugged his brother. “And you didn’t stop him?” he yelled. 

Ford recoiled a bit, but then he turned defensive. “I haven’t been in the dimension for a long time,” he explained. “How was I supposed to know it wasn’t normal for him?”

“Listen, poindexter,” Stan started, clenching his fist. Then he glanced at Mabel who was still crying silently, her tears falling on the blue and white trucker hat in her hands. “Whatever, fine. You saw him go. Which way?”

“North,” Ford replied, as if his twin didn’t just suppress the urge to beat him senseless. He looked at Mabel, also made uncomfortable by her crying. He didn’t know what to do or say to make her feel better, so he chose to ignore it. Though he did wish she would stop. 

Stan growled in frustration. North would take Dipper through a dense part of the woods, a place impossible to properly search in the dark. But they had to go get him before he got lost or worse. “Mabel, get dressed we’re going to find him.” He turned back into his room to change, grumbling about the Pines family stubbornness. 

Mabel nodded and ran off. Passing Ford she stopped. “Are you coming too?” she asked. “We could really use the help.”

Startled by her request, Ford looked at her in confusion. Her eyes still sparkled with tears and she looked at him with such need and hope that reminded him of his brother when he was little. “O-of course,” he stammered. Managing a smile he tried to look reassuring. “We’ll find him, don’t worry.”

Mabel’s face lit up and she gave him a hug, a gesture that made Stanford jump. “Oh thank you, thank you thank you!” she cried. Terror subsiding into optimistic confidence she ran off to get dressed. Ford watched her go, a soft smile still lingering on his lips. 

Pulling her sweater over her head, Mabel grinned and looked for her grappling hook. Once could never be too prepared! Just as she grabbed it, the front door burst open, startling her. For a moment she thought Great Uncle Ford had gone back out but when she turned around she saw two figures stumbling inside the shack. One was a tall man with goggles and a futuristic coat and the other was-

“Dipper!” she squealed, running to him. She tackled him with a fierce hug. “You’re back! You’re safe!” Then, pulling away, she scowled and punched him in the arm. “You scared me silly you dork,” she cried. “I thought you had run away or gotten hurt or…”

“Hey, I’m sorry ok?” Dipper declared, rubbing his arm where she had punched him. 

“Dipper?” Stan asked from around the corner. Seeing them in the entryway, he sighed in relief. The kid was safe. Thank goodness! Then he went into parent mode. “You’re in big trouble you knucklehead,” he roared. “What were you thinking running off like that?”

Dipper scowled at him, still not ready to let go of his earlier rage. Before he could retort, Stan noticed the man who was with him and put his hands on his hips. “And who’s this guy?”

Pushing his goggles up on his forehead, Future Dipper looked at Stan as if he had seen a ghost. “H-hey there, Grandpa Stan. Long time no see.”

Stan and Mabel gaped at him, recognizing the birthmark. “Wait a minute, there’s two of you?” Mabel blurted. “How is that even possible?”

“This is Future Dipper,” Dipper declared, motioning towards his older self. “Turns out I’m a time traveling rebel in the future.”

“I actually prefer the term ‘leaper’,” Future Dipper corrected. 

There was a click and the high pitch squeal of a laser gun firing up behind them and the four of them stiffened. “Get away from them,” Ford growled.

Future Dipper turned pale and slowly turned around to face his great uncle. “Whoa, hold on,” he yelped, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture.

“What are you doing, Ford?” Stan yelled. “Put that thing down!”

Taking slow measured steps towards Future Dipper, Ford kept his massive gun pointed at the young man’s chest. Dipper, Mabel and Stan backed away as he drew closer, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. 

“Come to finish what you started, huh?” Ford snarled. “Well you won’t catch me off guard this time.”

Future Dipper held as still as he could, but that was hard when his whole body was shaking in terror. “Wait, I think you have me mixed up with my other future self,” he reasoned. 

“I won’t fall for your tricks this time,” Ford snapped, making the other four Pines’ jump. His gun glowed a bright blue, the energy in the barrel built up to full complicity. 

“What did you do?” Dipper asked, voice cracking in terror. 

Ford glared behind his cracked glasses. “He tried to kill me four years ago. Threw me into a pit like it was nothing.”

“Now hold on a minute,” Future Dipper stuttered. “That was Far Future Dipper, I was the one who pulled you out of the pit. Remember?” Sliding the goggles back down, he let the recognition sink in. 

Blinking in surprise, Ford lowered his gun, the blue light dimming until the weapon turned dark. “That was you?”

Future Dipper sighed in relief. “Yes! I didn’t tell you who I was because…you know…” he looked at the gun and trailed off. “Yeah.”

“So there’s another you?” Mabel cried. “This is hurting my head. How can there be three of you?”

Stan frowned as well. “I’m with Mabel, this is too crazy to be real.”

“It’s true!” Dipper snapped. “I met the other Future Me in the woods and I’m totally crazy in the future.”

Mabel snorted. “So, just like you are now?” she teased.

“Ha! Good one,” Stan chortled, giving his granddaughter a high five. 

Dipper’s face flushed red. “No, not that kind of crazy. In the future I invent my own time machine and…apparently try to kill the author…” He looked up at his great uncle. “Um, sorry about that in advance, I guess.”

Shrugging his big shoulders, Ford leaned his gun against the wall. “Don’t worry about it kid. It’s already in the past for me.”

“What my younger self is trying to say,” Future Dipper interjected. “Is in the future we’re pretty….evil.” He said the word with a wince. “It’s just another reason for me to change the timeline. I don’t want to grow into that.”

Mabel circled her future twin, gaping at him. “Wow Dipper you get really tall in the future,” she observed. “I like it.” She then gasped as a thought occurred to her. “Does that mean I get tall too? What’s Future Mabel like?”

Future Dipper gaped at her, opening his mouth several times to start a sentence but the words were hard to find. “She is…or she was…Um, Future Mabel is…She’s not…” Tears brimmed in his eyes as he gazed down at little Mabel. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked, innocently. 

Falling down on his knees, Future Dipper threw his arms around Mabel, pulling her into an unexpected hug. Mabel felt her Future brother shake as he sobbed into her hair. “Was it something I said?” 

“Um, Mabel sweetie,” Stan started. “I don’t think Future Mabel is…Um…”

“Future Mabel is dead,” Ford stated, with all the eloquence and emotion as if he was relaying the results of a chemical reaction. 

Dipper and Mabel gasped in terror at his statement. Stan slammed his palm into his face, exasperated at his twin’s complete lack of tact. “Jeez Stanford, could you maybe, I don’t know, pretend to have a heart for once?”

“What?” his twin protested.”Clearly, that’s what happened.”

“Yeah, but you don’t just say it like that!”

“She’s not dead,” Future Dipper mumbled, pulling back, but still keeping his hands on Mabel’s shoulder as if afraid she might vanish if he let go. “She’s in a limbo state. It’s been…it’s been too long.” 

Dipper watched with wide eyes. Just a few hours ago he had been so mad at Mabel and Stan he didn’t know if he would have cared if they had both gone through the portal and vanished forever. But here was Future Dipper literally crying at the sight of his twin, albeit a younger version of her. Feeling guilty, Dipper looked down at his shoes. Maybe he shouldn’t take Mabel for granted so much.

Future Dipper looked at Mabel, his eyes hungry for her face and then through his tears he smiled and lifted her off the ground, spinning her around in the air. “I missed you so much, Mabel!” he laughed, a touch of sadness still in his voice. “Your laugh and your silly sweaters!” Pulling her close again he smelled her hair. “And how you always smell like sugar and hot glue!”

Mabel laughed as he spun her around. Looking back at Present Dipper she grinned. “I like him!”

“So that’s why you’ve been traveling,” Ford deduced, emotionally detached from the touching scene. “To save your twin in the future.”

Future Dipper nodded and put Mabel down. “Yeah, I guess…I guess I’m a lot more like Grandpa Stan than I thought.” He gave Stan a meaningful look, smiling shyly. 

Stan returned the hesitant smile and rubbed the back of his head. “Heh, stubborn kid….”

Dipper looked between his Future self and Stan, feeling fiercely uncomfortable at the thought of being anything like his Grunkle turned Grandfather in this or any other timeline. In an attempt to break the moment he cleared his throat. “So, in the woods you said something was coming? What were you talking about?”

Future Dipper looked at Ford. “I think Grunkle Ford can explain it better than I can.” 

The title ‘grunkle’ made Ford bristle in annoyance, but he recovered and folded his hands behind his back. “I was waiting until morning, but since you insist.” He looked at his family with a grim frown. “The apocalypse is coming and we’re all going to die,” he declared.

Dipper and Mabel gaped at him, shocked by the sudden and unexpected news. Stan ran his hand from his forehead to the bridge of his nose. “We really are going to have to work on that tact of yours, Ford,” he grumbled.


	3. Return to the Bunker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pines family gather their friends and retreat to the bunker. But as secure as they think they are, an enemy has found his way in.

“The apocalypse is coming?” Dipper cried. 

“We’re all going to die?” Mabel repeated. “Grandpa Stan is that true?” she asked, turning to him. 

“I was kind of hoping we could skip the dying part,” Stan admitted. 

Future Dipper made to say something, but then changed his mind. “There’s an alien craft buried under Gravity Falls and it’s going to activate in about,” he checked his watch. “Forty five minutes.”

“Aliens?” Mabel and Dipper asked in unison. 

Ford nodded. “That’s why there’s so many strange things here,” he explained. “The whole area is affected by the energy given off by their shields.”

“They have one mission,” Future Dipper continued, his bushy eyebrows furrowing. “Wake the Time Baby. When that happens, everything is going to change.”

“What’s a Time Baby?” Stan asked, skeptical. “Doesn’t sound so scary to me.”

Dipper rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Oh yeah, I remember him.”

“He’s the one who gave us the time wish to fix Soos’ birthday,” Mabel recalled. “He seemed a little cranky, but he can’t be all bad.”

“Wait a second, you two know about the Time Baby?” Ford cried. 

The twins grinned at him. “Uh, duh,” Mabel said, blowing a raspberry.

“We’ve time traveled a couple times this summer,” Dipper boasted. “Some time traveler wanted to revenge on us and got us dragged into Globnar in the future.” 

Flustered at the concept that two twelve year olds knew more about the Time Baby than he did, Ford struggled to compose himself. “I…I didn’t realize. Really?”

“The Time Baby is a tyrant,” Future Dipper declared, his voice full of resentment. “He’s the one who imprisoned my Mabel and when he attacked Gravity Falls he killed…” He looked at the Stan twins and the words caught in his throat. “The point is, we need to stop him. When the ship activates they’ll invade the town and secure the area. We can’t be here when that happens.”

Ford stepped forward. “We’ll use the bunker. That’s why I built it in the first place.”

Rolling his eyes, Stan scowled. “Spending another undermined amount of time in one of your underground bases, great. Are you going to punch me in this one too?” Not waiting for his twin’s reply, Stan looked at the twins. “Ok you two grab whatever you think you’ll need. We move out in ten minutes.”

“But what about Soos and Wendy?” Dipper protested. “We have to save them too.”

“And Robbie,” Mabel added. “And my friends Candy and Grenda.”

“Not to mention Pacifica,” Dipper continued. The twins looked at each other. “Wow, I never thought she and Robbie would make our list of people to save.”

Stan sighed. “Ok, we’ll get as many of them as we can down into the bunker. But I don’t know if we can reach them in time.”

Future Dipper pulled out his time device and grinned. “I think you can leave that to me,” he assured them. “After all I can be in more than one place at once. You four get to the bunker and I’ll meet you there with everyone else.”

By the time they made it to the bunker in the woods, Future Dipper had rounded up everyone they had listed. Wendy ran to meet them as they approached. “Dipper,” she cried. “What’s going on? And why is there some guy that looks like you’re older brother?”

“Um,” Dipper said, glancing at his older self. “It’s kind of a long story. Where’s your family?”

“Oh, don’t worry about them,” she replied. “They’re camping in Portland. I only stayed behind because I thought I had work at the shack.” She caught sight of Ford and blinked. “Who’s that?”

“He’s Grunkle Stan's brother,” Mabel declared. As she explained the whole thing to her, Ford opened the bunker, grumbling to himself how he didn’t plan to have so many people take refuge and how it was meant for strictly professional purposes anyways and how no one had better touch his equipment. 

Down in the bunker, the large group tried to make themselves comfortable in the small space. “I wasn’t planning for so many people,” Ford declared. “There’s more room on the other side of the security room but it is extremely complicated and dangerous.”

“No worries,” Wendy said with a laugh. “Dipper totally mastered that thing last time we were down here.”

“He…what?” Ford stammered. 

“And we had to fight that shapeshifter dude and put him back in his ice tube,” Soos added. Then he shuddered. “I hope we don’t have to do that again.”

Ford rubbed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. “Ok, I am going to need a complete debriefing on what all you’ve been doing with my journal this summer,” he decided. 

Stan crossed his arms, upset that this was the first he was hearing of it as well. “You and me both.”

Eventually silence fell over underground bunker as everyone went to sleep. Future Dipper paced by the entryway, eyes fixed on his watch. They should have felt the tremors of the alien craft activating by now. Maybe the timeline had already been altered? He glanced up and saw the Stan twins conversing quietly in the corner of the room. It was the kind of verbal shorthand typical only to twins where sentences didn’t need to be completed because the other already knew what was going to be said. Ford scowled as his twin told him about what had happened since he left, choleric and unyielding, but there was a softness in his eyes that betrayed how glad he was to see Stanley again. There was unspoken bitterness between them but it was set aside in the face of a crisis.

Watching them made Future Dipper’s heart ache and he glanced over to where Mabel was sleeping. She lay curled up with Dipper on one side and Candy and Grenda on the other. So many regrets and so many unsaid things filled the hole she had left in his life and the weight of it all made him sick. Glancing at his watch again he sighed. Maybe there was one regret he could get rid of now.

“Um, can I talk to you?” Future Dipper asked, coming over to them.

Ford looked up. “Yes? What is it?”

Future Dipper jumped a little at his response. “Oh, sorry I meant Grandpa Stan.”

The Stan twins exchanged a look of surprise. Future Dipper was a lot different than they had realized. “What is it kid?” Stan asked, stepping forward. 

“Well, I…” The young time traveler hesitated and looked at Ford. 

Getting the hint, the author stood up. “It’s alright, I know when I’m not wanted,” he declared with a little laugh, moving to the far end of the room. 

After he left, Future Dipper looked at his boots, shuffling uncomfortably. Stan felt uncomfortable as well. After all, the kid’s younger self had declared his undying hate for him only a few hours before. For all he knew the older Dipper still had some beef with him “Um, something you want to tell me?” he asked, breaking the silence.

“I’m sorry,” Future Dipper mumbled.

“Huh?” Stan gaped at him. Future Dipper’s shoulders were hunched over as he continued to contemplate his feet. 

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “For all the terrible things I said to you. I guess it was only a few hours ago for you but it’s been years for me and I’m sorry I yelled and said that I….hate you.”

Stan smiled wryly and put his meaty hand on Future Dipper’s shoulder. They were at eye level for once and it was a strange feeling, but a good one. “Kid, it’s ok. You were mad and with reason. You don’t have to apologize.”

“Yes I do,” Future Dipper protested. “You don’t understand. Grandpa Stan I said all those things and then you…and then I never got the chance to take them back.” He wilted and looked away, ashamed. Dark circles and worry lines around his eyes made him look older than eighteen and Stan wanted nothing more than to take whatever burden he was carrying off his shoulders. He knew better than anyone what it was like to lose a twin. Future Dipper looked up and set his square jaw firm. “I apologize for everything I said. It wasn’t my place. Can you forgive me?”

Stan laughed, a short, harsh chuckle. “Of course I forgive ya, Dipper.” He pulled the teen into a quick and firm hug and then clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up about it.”

Future Dipper stumbled a bit, losing his footing under Stan’s strong display of affection. Laughing nervously, he looked up at his grandfather. “Ok, I won’t. Promise.”

A question hung in the air and Stan raised a brow. “Something else you want to say?”

Future Dipper looked away. “It’s about Mabel. I wanted to ask you, I mean since you didn’t have Ford for so long. Is it…? Does it ever…?”

Stan held up hand to silence his rambling. “First let me ask ya, how long has it been?”

“Two years,” the young time traveler admitted. He ran his hands through his messy curls. “Pathetic right? It’s only been two years and already I’m falling apart. I don’t know how you stood thirty!”

“It wasn’t easy,” Stan admitted. “And to answer your question–no, it doesn’t ever get easier. Not until they’re back and you’re one person again.”

Future Dipper hung his head. “I was afraid of that.”

Stan ruffled his hair with a grin. “Cheer up kid. There’s always hope. If I can get my bonehead back, I think anything is possible. Though between you and me I hope she’s more grateful than Ford was.”

There was a rumble and the whole bunker shook like it was in the throws of an earthquake. Everyone woke up, startled by the movement. “What’s going on?” Pacifica asked, sitting up. 

“They’re here,” Future Dipper replied. 

“They certainly are,” a sinister voice gloated. Future Dipper and Stan turned to see Far Future Dipper step out of the tunnel leading to the security room. He dusted himself off and looked around. “Wow, it’s really a party down here.”

“Dipper, who’s that?” Wendy asked, her voice strained with fear.

Dipper swallowed hard. “The other future me. The bad one.”

“I really underestimated you, Past Me,” Far Future Dipper leered. 

Future Dipper growled and reached for his weapon, but before he could Ford already had his gun aimed at the intruder. “Everyone get back,” he bellowed and they stumbled to comply. 

“Great Uncle Ford,” Far Future Dipper called, smiling despite the deadly glare Stanford was giving him. “How good to see you again. Still alive, I see.”

“No thanks to you,” he growled. “I don’t know how you got down here, but I’m going to throw you out myself.” His gun hummed as it powered up. “In pieces.”

Future Dipper sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. “I forgot how ignorant you all are.” With a flash of yellow light he vanished. Ford lowered his gun, surprised. There was another flash of light and Dipper gasped. 

“Watch out!” he yelled. 

Far Future Dipper appeared behind Ford and slammed a knife into his left shoulder, making his arm go slack in pain. The gun fell to the floor and the large man stumbled back, favoring his injured side. “You may have years of experience to your advantage, Grunkle Ford,” Far Future Dipper sneered, saying the name like an insult. “But what you don’t have is advance control over space, matter and time–which means I’m in control here.” 

“Come here you twerp,” Stan roared. He charged, brass knuckles flashing in the dim light. Far Future side-stepped the first few punches, but Stan was surprisingly light on his feet and managed to hit him twice in the gut and once in the head, stunning the young man. 

Stumbling back, Far Future shook with rage. “You’re going to regret that, old man,” he snarled. He vanished and Stan looked around, anticipating his reappearance. But Far Future Dipper didn’t change location once–he did it multiple times. He appeared to wink in and out of existence in six places at once, each time landing fierce punches to Stan, ending the attack with and spinning kick to the head, laying the old man out on the floor. Far Future Dipper stood over him, a sadistic grin spread across his face. “I’ve been waiting to do that for over ten years,” he panted. Turning around he held his arms wide. “Anyone else? I’m on a roll here.”

Everyone shrunk back, horrified at the vicious display of power. Dipper stepped forward, but his good future self came between him and Far Future Dipper, gun drawn. “Why are you doing this?” he demanded. 

“It’s nothing personal,” his older self replied. Then he chuckled darkly. “Actually it kind of is. But honestly, I’m just following orders. The Time Baby doesn’t want you mucking up the past and ruining the future.”

“The Time Baby?” Future Dipper stammered. “He sent you? But why would you help him after what he did to Mabel? To us?”

Far Future Dipper threw back his head and laughed. “Mabel? Why would I care about her?”

Ford eased the knife out of his shoulder and ground his teeth in pain as he clutched the bloody instrument in his right hand. Far Future Dipper had his back to him and appeared to have dismissed him as being neutralized. Mistake number one.

“If I do this for the Time Baby I get a time wish,” Far Future Dipper boasted. 

“But with that we can change everything,” Future Dipper reasoned. “We can set the timeline right and make it so we don’t loose Mabel and Stan and…”

The eldest Dipper snorted. “Why would I do that? I’m using the time wish to get what we always wanted–all knowledge and power. I mean, why would I waste it on Mabel when she did absolutely nothing to help us? Who in their right mind would give up all they ever worked for just for their dumb sibling?”

The phrase made Mabel sit up straight and she squinted at Far Future Dipper over her twin’s shoulder. “Bill?” she asked. 

“What?” Dipper asked. “Where?”

“No, that’s exactly what Bill said when he tried to get the journal from me. You don’t think you and Bill are…?”

The question couldn’t even be finished because the implications was too terrible to say. 

Ford came at Far Future Dipper from behind, slicing at him with the knife. The thin man spun away and kicked his great uncle in the gut, bringing him to his knees. He vanished in a flash of light and when he reappeared he was behind Mabel, pulling the small girl into his firm grip. He had one arm wrapped around her chest and his other hand clamped onto her jaw. 

“Dipper, help,” Mabel cried. 

Far Future Dipper grinned at his younger selves. “Maybe I should just be rid of her now. It would save us all so much trouble.”

“You leave her alone,” Dipper shrieked. “Or I’ll–”

“Or you’ll what?” Far Future Dipper spat. “Of the whole family you’re the most pathetic. Lucky for me that’s all in the past now.” His grip tightened on Mabel’s jaw, threatening to twist her head and snap her neck at any moment. She whimpered and flailed in vain. “Just like Mabel is about to be.”

Dipper clenched his hands into fists, pushing so hard his nails threatened to draw blood from where they pressed into his palms. Running forward he swung as hard as he could. “LEFT HOOK!” He punched his Future Evil self right between the legs, bringing the man to his knees in pain. Mabel sprung out of his grasp and hid behind her twin. 

“You saved me,” she cried in relief. 

“This isn’t over,” Far Future Dipper growled through clenched teeth. “I won’t let you ruin want I’ve worked for.” Then he vanished in a flash of light.

When he was gone, the bunker exploded into applause. “Good hit,” Wendy said. “That has got to hurt.”

“You were great,” Pacifica added. 

Stan wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned. “Nice going kid.”

Dipper turned to look at him and torn between his grudge and his pleasure to be complemented by him, could only manage a mumbled “thanks”. 

“That was insane,” Robbie cried. “When did you learn to do that disappear and reappear thing?”

Future Dipper shrugged. “In about six years apparently. I guess the time machine I build in the future can stop time and teleport as well. Just one more thing to worry about I suppose.”


	4. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Far Future Dipper has an interesting conversation with Bill. The Pines family makes a plan of attack.

Ford winced as Wendy dabbed disinfectant on the stab wound in his shoulder. “Good thing you have this first aid kit down here,” she commented. “Or you would be in big trouble.” Threading a needle she set about stitching the wound shut.

“How do you know how to do stitches?” he asked, clenching his teeth in pain. 

Wendy shrugged. “Well, when your whole family is a bunch of hyped up lumberjacks let’s just say you learn a thing or two about stab wounds. Trust me, this is not the worst I’ve seen. You got off pretty easy.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t seem Far Future Dipper has very good aim when it comes to knives.” Ford looked at her as she worked. “You look just like your mom,” he commented. 

The redhead almost dropped the needle. “You knew my mom?” She looked at him with new appreciation, not realizing Stan’s twin actually had any connection to her family.

Nodding, Ford smiled. “She and your father built my house. Nice couple.” He met her gaze, realizing she had used the past tense. “What happened to her?”

Wendy looked away and returned to dressing his wound. “She died a long time ago. I don’t like talking about it.”

The rest of the ministrations were done in silence. Wendy tried not to stare at all the scars on his arms and chest. Clearly whatever he had been doing for the past thirty years, it hadn’t been pretty. “All done,” she announced, standing back. “Try to avoid using it for a few days or you’ll rip them out.”

Stan appeared behind her, smiling. “Good work, kid,” he said, clapping her on the shoulder. “Looks great.”

Ford scowled at the thought of not using his left arm. It would make handling his gun difficult. “Yeah, thanks.” He worked his shoulder a few times, gauging how much he could move before the pain got too bad. Looking across the bunker he saw Future Dipper and Dipper talking, the older boy congratulating his younger self on his bravery. Ford was also proud of him. Dipper reminded him of himself and he wondered if he would have been able to do them same at his age. Probably not, but then again he was Stan’s grandchild. Pulling his sweater back on he stood up and dragged his gun over to the two Dippers. 

“How about we trade?” he offered. “My gun for yours.”

Future Dipper gaped at the large weapon and then at Stanford. “What? Really?”

“I can’t use it now thanks to the other Dipper, so I think you better take it.” He gave his great nephew a wry smile. “Be careful though, it packs a real punch.”

Future Dipper handed over his weapon and Ford scowled at it. “This is a Gamma Beam,” he criticized. “This isn’t even good for hunting.”

“Normally no, but I made a few modifications,” Future Dipper boasted. “I increased the power output by putting in a power cell from a busted B-Ray I salvaged. It can automatically target at three hundred meters as well.” He looked down at the larger gun he had inherited. “Nothing like this guy though.”

Ford tucked his new weapon into his coat. “The tracking is off by two meters so be sure to compensate when you use it. Also I amped up the power levels past regulation, so it can overheat if you use it too much.”

“You amped a Jumbo Canon past regulation?” Future Dipper stammered. “What were you hunting that needed that much power?”

He gave the young man a dark look. “Demons.”

Dipper was mostly lost in all the technobabble but he found the very fact that his future self could keep up to be amazing. “So you’re a mechanic too?” he asked. 

Future Dipper scratched the back of his head. “More like a jack of all trades. Leading a rebellion means you need to know how to repair weapons on the fly. Mabel’s better at it than I am…” The memory made him fall silent. Then he shook it off and took to examining the Jumbo Canon. “Let’s see what we can do about that tracking device.”

As Future Dipper set about the repairs, Stanford took notice of the blue trucker hat Dipper wore. Lifting it off his head, he examined the pine tree symbol. “Where did you get this?” he asked. 

“Grunkle…I mean, Grandpa Stan let me take it from the gift shop. Why? Is that important?”

Ford glanced about him, taking note of Stanley’s fez, Robbie’s sweater, Soos’ shirt and the shooting star stitched onto Mabel’s sweater. All the symbols seemed to swirl around him like the wheel Bill had shown him. “Who’s the llama?” he demanded, shoving the hat back into Dipper’s hands.

“What?” he sputtered. 

“The llama,” the researcher cried. “And the ice and the star.” Both Dippers stared blankly at him and he ran his hands through his greying hair in frustration. “The Cipher Wheel,” he yelled. “Are you both idiots?” He pulled the second journal out and opened to Bill’s page, pointing to each symbol. “Almost all of the symbols are here now. I’m the hand, you’re the pine tree, your sister is the shooting star.”

The others in the bunker fell silent as his voice became increasingly loud and frantic. “My brother is this one, his handiman is the question mark, the moody teen is the broken heart.” His polydactyl hands shook as he looked at Wendy and Pacifica. “You didn’t ask for these people by chance–they’re all somehow related to what’s going on here.”

Pacifica dared to draw closer, squinting at the journal page. “Hey, there’s a tapestry with that triangle back home,” she said, pointing at Bill.

“And when we were in that weird room with all the paintings, wasn’t there one of a llama?” Dipper added. 

“There was!”

“Gideon is the star and Wendy is the ice,” Future Dipper stated, his voice flat and sad. “And the glasses must be…”

“Fiddleford McGucket,” Ford finished. He looked around in a panic. “What have we done? Almost the entire wheel is here except two.”

“Why does that matter?” Dipper asked. “Is something going to happen if we’re all together?”

Ford held the open book out, jabbing his finger onto the page. “Bill appears and disappears with these symbols which means he draws power from what they represent. If all the people on here are in one place at one time then he can draw the additional power he needs to fulfill his ultimate plan.”

“Which is what, exactly?” Wendy asked, only partially following. 

Snapping the book shut, Ford tucked it back into his jacket. “The end of everything. Worse than the Time Baby. Worse than anything you could imagine.”

Grim silence fell over them. Pacifica crossed her arms and looked at Dipper. “Is he always like this?”

Stan was the one to answer her. “Pretty much.”

Future Dipper shook his head. “Grunkle Ford, don’t worry about it so much. In the past none of us were ever in one place at the same time, so Bill lost to the Time Baby. Let’s worry about the real problem at hand.”

Ford rounded on him. “Yes, but the timeline is different now. You’ve made sure of that.”

“Well, yeah…”

“So, that means anything is possible,” Ford concluded. “As soon as we go back up to the surface we need to make sure we stay separated into smaller groups. We can’t let Bill complete his plan.”

***

Far Future Dipper teleported into the attic of the Mystery Shack, his knees still weak with pain. “Stupid past me and my stupid past sister,” he grumbled. “They’ll ruin everything.”

“Oh, you think so, huh?” a voice cackled over his shoulder. Far Future Dipper turned to see Bill floating over his shoulder. The world turned black and white as he appeared, leaving them as the only two spots of color. “I think you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“What do you want?” Far Future Dipper growled. “I still haven’t forgiven you for stealing my body.”

“Oh, but was it stealing?” Bill asked. “After all, we’re not totally different.”

“What are you driving at?” he asked, crossing his arms. Bill was enemy number one to the Time Baby, so he wasn’t about to be taken in by him. 

Bill reclined back as if sitting down in an invisible chair. “You still haven’t put it together yet, have you Pinetree? Who I am and who you are?”

Far Future Dipper narrowed his eyes. “I don’t have time for your riddles Bill, so if you’re here to stall for time it won’t work.” He made to leave, but stopped as Bill appeared in front of him. 

“You’re going to use the Time Wish for ultimate power, right?” he asked. 

Drawing back, the young man crossed his arms. “Yeah. What’s it to you?”

“Well, take a good look at me and consider if I’m not exactly what you’re asking for,” the triangle cackled. 

The wheels were slow to turn but once they started, Far Future Dipper’s eyes grew wide. “No. It can’t be…”

“Time Baby’s enemy number one, that’s me,” Bill announced. “And how did I get to such a spot? By using his own powers and wish against him of course. There’s no need for me to take orders if I have ultimate power.” His long black arms wrapped around Far Future Dipper’s shoulder, pulling him close. “So don’t worry, Pinetree. If I’m still here it means you’re doing a great job. Just get that time wish and everything will go down in flames the way we want it.”

Fading into nothing, the cipher wheel appeared around him. “And don’t forget, I’ll be watching you. Always watching you…” 

Then he was gone and Far Future Dipper started as if waking from a dream. Rubbing his head, he frowned. “Did I hear him right? Bill is me?”

***

Future Dipper called everyone to order. “Alright people, listen up. Here’s the plan.” He pointed to a map of Gravity Falls he had pinned up on the wall. “The alien forces have no doubt taken Gravity Falls and with the area secure they’ll begin scans for the Time Baby.” He pointed to the floating cliffs. “Their ship will be located here and we need to find a way to board it and stop the scans before they can finish.” 

Sticky notes with a crudely drawn heart, shooting star and llama were put on the town square. “Robbie, Mabel and Pacifica will be in charge of getting as many people out as they can. Try and keep it to an orderly stampede and direct them away from the floating cliffs.” He pointed to another set of sticky notes with a six fingered hand, the symbol on Stan’s fez and a pine tree drawn on them, clustered around the floating cliffs. “Meanwhile, I’ll lead the Stan Twins and….other me, on a frontal assault of the alien craft. I tried this once before so I know how to get in.” He pointed to a set of stickies with an ice bag and question mark on them. “Soos and Wendy, you cause some sort of distraction here to draw the guards away. Don’t let them get too close to you though, they’re deadly despite their size.” Folding his arms he surveyed the group. “Any questions?”

Robbie raised his hand. “Uh, I have a question: who put you in charge?”

Ford glared at him, his gaze full of dark impatience. “Coming from the future, he knows more about these events than we do,” he explained. “And I put him in charge if you really want to argue the point.”

Dipper, Wendy and Pacifica stifled giggles as Robbie went pale and backed away from Ford. 

“Any other questions?” Future Dipper asked. 

Mabel raised her hand. “I have one! What are we supposed to do if we run into the aliens?”

Future Dipper’s expression turned serious. “In the case of your team–run! They’re not very fast on their feet but their teeth can rip you to shreds. Soos and Wendy, you better take weapons with you in case you need to fight.”

“Me too,” Dipper piped up. “I mean if I’m going to help the boarding party, I need a weapon too, right?”

Future Dipper exchanged a worried look with the Stan Twins. 

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, kid,” Stan finally said. “You were great fighting against yourself, but these things sound like a whole other level.”

Dipper crossed his arms. “You never trust me with anything,” he grumbled. “You let Mabel use her grappling hook!”

“Yeah, but that’s different,” Stan reasoned. He sighed and rubbed his eyes behind his glasses. “Look, let’s just take this one step at a time, kid.” It was easy to forget that only the Future Dipper had apologized to him. Present Dipper was still having problems, not to mention the psychotic far future grandchild who had tried to kill them only hours before. Stan prayed that if he did live to see the end of this that he would only have one Dipper to worry about. Three of him were making things complicated. 

“We move out in one hour,” Future Dipper announced, cutting off any retort Dipper might have. “We have one shot at this so let’s make it count.”


	5. We Had a Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill makes a vicious return. Far Future Dipper looks to the future and his worst fears are confirmed.

Future Dipper, Dipper and both Stan’s hid in the thick forest, waiting for Soos and Wendy to get their distraction in order. If the town had been a mess after the portal’s activation, it was in shambles now. The aliens had unearthed their craft from beneath the floating cliffs and the townsfolk had either escaped in terror or been captured by them. Dipper could see a few of the aliens sulking around the entrance to the craft. They were only a little taller than he was with bulging eyes and serrated teeth that ground together as they hissed at each other in their strange language. 

“It could be a while,” Future Dipper asserted, checking his watch. “How’s your arm?” he asked Ford. 

“It’s fine,” he grunted.

Stan peeked over top his twin’s head so he could look at Future Dipper. “That means he’s in pain but won’t admit it,” he clarified. 

Ford elbowed his twin in the ribs, glaring fiercely. Stan laughed it off. 

“I think I see Wendy and Soos,” Future Dipper said, sitting straighter. “I’d better go check.”

Ford held out a hand to stop him and stood up. “I’ll go. You stay here.” 

They watched Ford sneak his way closer to the alien craft to make sure he could assist Soos and Wendy in case their distraction went awry. 

After he disappeared in the brush, nothing else could be heard. Dipper slumped against a tree and yawned. He hadn’t slept well, no one had really, and his eyelids felt heavy and thick. Before he knew it he had dozed off. 

“Nice to see you again, Pine Tree,” a familiar voice sang. 

Dipper jolted awake to find everything around him reduced to grayscale. Future Dipper and Stan continued talking and appeared unaware of the change of scenery. They didn’t seem to notice the floating yellow demon hovering in front of Dipper either. 

“You,” Dipper cried. “What do you want?”

Bill laughed, an echoing cackle. “Nothing we haven’t discussed before. You and your family are getting way too close to spoiling my fun, so it’s time you make good on our deal.”

“What deal?” Dipper asked. 

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten, kid!” Bill’s eye became a projector and showed him a flashback of the deal he had made in the attic. “I gave you a hint on the laptop and you promised to be my puppet.”

“That’s–but I thought it was just a one time thing,” Dipper stammered, as the projection show ended.

Bill moved close to him, his one eye glowing an electric blue. “I never said how long I wanted the puppet for, now did I, Pine Tree?” Before Dipper knew what was happening, Bill took his hand and Dipper felt himself being pulled out of his body and thrust out into the mindscape. 

Stan came over to his small form and put a big hand on his shoulder. “Poor kids’ tired,” he said, with a warm but concerned smile. “Come on, Dipper, time to wake up.”

Opening his eyes, Dipper was the only one who could see that the eyes glowed golden and the pupil was elongated like a snake’s. Bipper grinned up at Stan. “Time to go already?” he asked. 

Stan was taken aback by the smile, but like last time, no one could see what Dipper did nor hear that the voice coming out of his mouth wasn’t his. “Yeah. You ready for this, kid?”

“Oh, I was born ready.”

Future Dipper looked at him out of the corner of his eye, a spark of suspicion in his gaze. Dipper hovered next to him. “Come on, Future Me, if anyone should know that’s Bill you should!” He gaped at his possessed body in terror. “Right?” 

Future Dipper was busy checking his watch and didn’t appear to hear him. Dipper despaired, spinning in mid air as he curled up into the fetal position, pulling at his hat in frustration. “This isn’t happening! This isn’t happening! Bill can’t possess me right now, not when we’re about to execute our plan. If we don’t stop the Time Baby, Mabel gets captured, I turn evil and we do this all over again. But no one can tell he isn’t me!”

Through the trees they watched the guards run off, investigating the racket Soos and Wendy were creating. Ford appeared out of his hiding place and set to work on unlocking the door. “Let’s go,” Future Dipper said and led the way. Dipper flew after them and searched the faces of both Stan and Future Dipper for some signs of recognition. 

“Great Uncle Ford will know,” he reassured himself. “He encountered Bill before, no way he wouldn’t know that wasn’t me.”

But by the time they arrived, Ford already had the door open and was waving them to follow him in. Bipper remained hidden behind Future Dipper and he went unnoticed by Ford’s keen eye.

“Are you kidding me?” Dipper cried, trailing after them.

Future Dipper took the lead, Stanford close behind with Bipper and Stan bringing up the rear. Stan glared at Bipper and hung behind him, one hand stroking the stubble on his big chin. “There’s something wrong,” he muttered to himself. “Wrong with the kid.”

Dipper felt his jaw drop. Stan noticed? Of the three he would have never guessed his lying and cheating grandfather disguised as his grunkle would be the one to notice. He didn’t appear to see a change last time it had happened but they hadn’t been in close quarters. “Can you tell?” Dipper asked. “Can you really see that isn’t me?”

Stan looked around and adjusted his hearing aid as if he did hear him. When the faint voice didn’t return he shrugged and ran to keep up with the group. Dipper flew after him. “Grunkle…I mean…Grandpa Stan, I know you can’t really hear me but, I’m sorry I was angry at you. Maybe you do care more about me than I thought.” Dipper glared at Bipper. “And I’m sorry it took me getting thrown into the Mindscape to figure that out.”

Far Future Dipper stood atop the floating cliffs and watched his past self lead the boarding party. He should be stopping them, but something made him hesitate. He remembered the conversation he had with Bill and clenched his gloved hands into tight fists. Could it be true? When he uses the time wish, will he really turn into…that?

The hesitation wasn’t born from a sense of morality, that had been stamped out years ago. But he remembered the trouble Bill had caused him as a child and continued to even now as he served as an agent of the Time Baby. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, he reasoned. Bill did have all power and knowledge. No matter how he looked at it though, the thought left a sick feeling in his stomach. 

Bill, who was even more merciless than the Time Baby. Bill, who would raged havoc across the universe for no reason other than his own amusement. Bill, who had all knowledge in the world but appeared to only use it for less than constructive things. It was as if the sheer weight of his knowledge and power had driven him insane, so far gone that he didn’t know how to use it constructively. 

That wasn’t what Dipper wanted. In any time stream. In any reality. He had always wanted knowledge to solve problems. To be the smart guy. To be the one in control. To make the small minded doubters realize they were wrong and he was right. 

He couldn’t do that as Bill.

Of course there was no way to know that this wasn’t another of Bill’s mind games. Far Future Dipper stood straight as a thought occurred to him. Maybe there was a way. Lifting back his sleeve, he adjusted his watch, which was actually a time machine he had invented. After honing in on the future moment he was in search for, he winked away in a flash of yellow light. 

Reappearing in the future, he found himself in the halls of the Time Baby’s palace. To make sure no one saw him, he had set the space around himself to remain one second in the past, staying out of flux with the rest of time so he be an unseen bystander. He saw himself standing before the Time Baby, back in his own time stream and looking no worse for wear. 

“The mission was completed successfully,” the other Far Future Dipper announced, bowing before the Time Baby. “The rebel force has been neutralized and the integrity of the timeline has been preserved, just as requested.”

“It is well,” the Time Baby boomed. “As promised, here is your reward, faithful minion.”

His future self stood straight and received the glowing time wish with a look of hunger and anticipation. Far Future Dipper found himself holding his breath as his other self held the time wish high in the air. He knew what he was asking for. What he wanted. All knowledge and ultimate power. 

The time wish glowed bright until a white light engulfed his future self. He doubled over as the wish came true and all the knowledge of the universe and beyond was poured into his head. Inconceivable power crackled around him and he fell to his knees as he tried to take it in. His birthmark glowed bright on his forehead, light spilling out of the cracks forming on his skin. The physical form succumbed to the overwhelming power surging through him and his trembling body collapsed in on itself, swirling light pulsing for a moment before reforming into a new shape. 

Far Future Dipper abandoned his physical form, now too weak to house the power and knowledge he had received. A new, better form now hovered before the Time Baby, glowing with the same golden light of the time wish, but formed into a triangle with a single eye in the center, bow tie where the mouth should have been and long black limbs dangling from his angular shape. 

The Time Baby gaped at him. “You,” he cried. “How can this be?”

Far Future Dipper, no, it wasn’t him anymore, Bill cackled in mirth as he flexed his small black hands. “I guess you could say this is how it was always supposed to be.” He hurled several blasts of pure energy at the Time Baby, but Far Future Dipper didn’t stick around to see what happened. He had seen too much already.

Shooting himself back through time to where he had been before, standing on the floating cliffs, he arrived a different person. He knees felt weak as the image of his form collapsing and reforming into Bill replayed over and over in his mind’s eye, the bright yellow light burned into his retinas. Falling to his knees, Far Future Dipper threw up. His stomach heaved again and again until there was nothing left, his whole body and mind rejecting the future he had witnessed. When it subsided he pulled himself to his feet, still shaking. “What am I supposed to do?” he asked no one in particular, wiping his mouth. “This isn’t…what I wanted…”

Somewhere else, sometime farther in the future, though not quite the far future, a teenage girl floated in a tank of water, her form and time stream suspended. She hadn’t aged a day since she had been put in , her dark brown curls swirling around her sixteen year old form, drab coat sparkling with a variety of jewels she had bedazzled on herself. Future Mabel Pines may have been restrained by the time tube, but the ripples of change came down through the time stream and touched her and her eyelids fluttered briefly, her mouth forming a single word, unheard to the guards who stood with their backs to her. 

“Dipper?”


	6. Something's Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill does a bit of body hopping. Far Future Dipper makes the Stans an offer.

Inside the alien saucer, Future Dipper led the way, occasionally stopping the group to hide from the aliens as they scurried past. So far, the alien crew hadn’t noticed they had been boarded and Future Dipper intended to keep it that way. Slipping on his goggles, he toggled through the settings, until he could see the map he had downloaded from a similar craft months before. 

“This way. We’re not far from the main control room.” He led the way, feeling pretty confident about the fact that for once he was the one giving orders to the Stan twins and not the other way around. Although, truth be told, Ford hadn’t been around long enough to really give orders in the original time stream. Future Dipper pushed the thought out of his head and focused on the task at hand. The time stream was already changing, he could feel it, so there was hope that things would be different this time. 

Outside of the control room, Far Future Dipper pressed himself against the wall to stay out of site of any passing aliens. Stan and Bipper did the same while Ford pressed his ear to the door. After a moment of intense listening he stepped away. 

“There’s three of them,” he announced, drawing the gun he had traded Future Dipper for. “I can taken them out. You stay out here just in case someone hears and come after the coast is clear.”

They nodded and Future Dipper opened the door. Ford stepped inside and had it secure in a matter of minutes. The rest of them rushed inside and Stan locked the door and looked around the high tech room. “I’m going out on a limb here,” he said, “And hope one of you two nerds understand this stuff.”

“Of course,” Future Dipper and Ford said in unison, both offended that Stan would suggest anything less. They were both busy at the controls, consulting notes in the journals Ford had made on the alien language as well as the information on the inside of Future Dipper’s goggles. Bipper hovered near by, his hands itching to cause some damage. As much as he hated it, he needed the Time Baby to come forth so Far Future Dipper could get the time wish and the cycle could begin again. Time–-it was always more complicated that people anticipated. 

Stan continued to watch Bipper with narrow eyes. Something wasn’t right. The real Dipper hovered next to him. Bipper made eye contact with Dipper and grinned. Reaching over to the control panel, his hands danced over the controls. “What does this do?” he asked. 

“Wait, stop,” Future Dipper yelled in alarm. Before he could stop him, Bipper hit the button and a blast of toxic gas hit Future Dipper in the face. Both Stan’s covered their faces to protect themselves from it. Ford’s polydactyl hand moved quickly to shut down the defense protocol and the gas was sucked from the room. 

Future Dipper lay on the floor, passed out from the gas. Bipper laughed maniacally. “Well, that was just too easy,” he gloated, his guise faltering. Stan’s eyes grew wide as Bipper let them see the yellow glow in his eyes and hear the change in his voice. 

“You,” Stan growled. “I knew there was something wrong with the kid.”

Bipper put his hands on his hips, sneering at Stan with a grin. “Oh, did you know? Can’t fool them all, I guess.” He turned his attention to Ford. “Well, well, well, look who’s back! Long time no see Sixer!”

“You!” Ford growled. “You get out of him right now or I’ll–”

“Or you’ll what?” Bipper sneered. “Face it, Stanford, I’ve got you beat this time.”

Before he could continue his gloating, Stan punched Bipper right in the face. He removed his brass knuckles first, no need to cause permanent damage to poor Dipper, but from what the kids had told him about Bill in the bunker, he knew one way of getting Bill out of a body. 

“Well, that was a bit harsh,” Bipper whined. 

“Get out of Dipper, now you little twerp,” Stan roared. “I care too much about him to let you use him as your puppet.” One more hit and the possessed boy fell back, knocked out cold. Bill was ejected from the body and Dipper soared back into it. 

Sitting up, he clutched his face. His left eye was swollen and his nose was bleeding a little. “Stan, do you think maybe you could be a little more gentle next time?” he asked. 

“Kid,” Stan cried, pulling him into a hug. He hoped the hug would mask the tears forming in his eyes. “You’re back!”

Dipper was taken aback by the hug and he almost shrunk away out of pure instinct, but he didn’t push him away. Stan was the one who saved him after all, although he he wished there had been a less painful way to do it.

Ford also sighed a breath of relief. “Hopefully there won’t be a next time.” Stan took out a handkerchief and tried to stem the blood flowing from his grandson’s nose. 

“Oh, you think so?” Future Dipper asked, sitting up. Both Stans and Dipper froze. They watched the young time traveler stand up, his eyes glowing yellow, sinister grin spread across his young face. “Good thing the contract is valid with all versions of Pine Tree, or that could have been a real set back.”

Ford drew his gun and aimed it at Future Bipper. “What do you want?” he growled. “If you’re here to stop us–”

Future Bipper laughed loudly at his question. “Stop you? I don’t need to stop you. I mean, you pathetic meat sacks don’t stand a chance of stopping the Time Baby one way or the other.” He flexed Future Dipper’s hands, testing out the limits of his new body. “And now that I’ve got this version of Pine Tree, there’s no way you’re going to stop me.” He took off Future Dipper’s goggles and smashed them under his heel, destroying any information he had stored in them. 

Stanford, Stanley and Dipper watched in horror. Future Dipper was their trump card. Without him, Bill was right, they didn’t stand a chance of figuring out the alien tech in time. Future Dipper picked up the jumbo canon and aimed it at them. Ford and Stan moved so Dipper was behind them, shielding him with their bodies. 

“Now that I’ve dealt with you three,” Future Bipper cackled. “I think I’ll go find the rest of the keys I need.” He smashed the panel by the door with his fist and an alarm blared. “Oops,” he giggled and then he was gone, running down the halls of the ship.

“What do we do?” Dipper cried. “This is all my fault!”

“Calm down kid, this is no one’s fault,” Stan started. 

“He’s right,” Ford agreed. “If anything, it’s my fault for not planning ahead for this.” Dipper and Mabel had told him in the bunker about Dipper’s deal with Bill but he had mistakenly thought the deal was no longer in effect. “What we need to do now is focus on stopping him. Cipher will no doubt try and assemble the other members of the wheel and if he does we’ll have bigger problems than the Time Baby on our hands.” 

The alarm brought a host of aliens to the control room and both Stan’s cleared a way out. One of the aliens lunged at Dipper, hissing like a feral cat. He yelped in terror and stumbled back. Stan punched the creature in the face, sending it flying back. He scooped Dipper up and carried him under his arm like a sack of potatoes. “Hold on kid,” he warned. Dipper clung to him as Stan barreled forward, smashing the small aliens aside with sheer force. Ford kept close behind, firing off the occasional blast to keep the ones his brother missed out of their way. 

The three Pines stumbled out of the ship, Ford closing the door to the spacecraft before any of the aliens could get through. He fried the control panel with his gun. “That should keep them busy for a while. Let’s go.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Far Future Dipper said from above. Both Stans and Dipper looked up to see him standing atop the saucer, his gun aimed at them. “Not until we have a little chat first.”

***

Mabel, Pacifica and Robbie had their hands full directing the panicked townsfolk. Soos and Wendy had met up with them after helping the boarding party and thanks to Wendy’s axe no one had gotten seriously hurt by the aliens. 

“This is worse than those freaky golf balls,” Pacifica whined, grimacing at the body of one of the aliens Wendy had taken out. She and Soos were on the outskirts of town to keep traffic moving in the right direction, but Wendy had left a trail of dead aliens in her wake. 

“Agreed,” Mabel replied. “Let’s keep moving people,” she shouted into the megaphone she had taken from the public pool. “No pushing, just follow the person in front of you.” Lowering the megaphone she noticed a familiar small figure with white hair making its way towards her. “Uh-oh,” she grimaced. 

“What is it?” Pacifica asked. 

“Gideon.”

Robbie saw him too and fell back to where Mabel and Pacifica were standing. The two girls were on top of the buffalo statue in the center of town so they could have a better view of what was going on, meaning they were out of reach of Gideon’s little arms, but Robbie didn’t like the look of the two burly jail birds flanking the white haired boy. He was glad Tambry had already made it out of town because it looked like aliens weren’t the only things they would have to deal with. 

“Mabel Pines,” Gideon declared. “Nice to see you again. How’s my marshmello?”

Mabel rolled her eyes. “Gideon, I don’t have time for this right now.”

“Oh, I think you do,” he replied, snapping his fingers. The two burly men with him clenched their fists and flexed their muscles. “Now, I was thinking I would take charge here. Nothing brings people together like an alien and invasion and with you as my queen I’m sure we could have ourselves a fine kingdom here.”

Robbie scowled. “Look man, you heard Mabel, we’ve got bigger things to deal with than your delusional plans.” He didn’t stand a chance against Gideon’s new bodyguards for sure, but Mabel was the reason he and Tambry were together and for that he would fight a hundred jail birds to keep her safe. 

The man on Gideon’s right stepped forward and picked Robbie up by his jacket. “Wanna say that again, little boy?”

Mabel gasped. “Robbie!” She pulled out her grappling hook and took aim. The heavy metal hook hit the man in the nose and he dropped Robbie as he clutched his face in pain. Mabel knew she had to think fast. What was Grunkle Ford saying about them? They couldn’t be all in one place? Future Dipper had assured him Gideon was in jail and that meant there was no way they could all come together, but Gideon was free now. But what was she supposed to do now? There had to be some way to get Gideon away from the town.

She wished Dipper was there to come up with a plan. Either version of her brother would have been helpful right now. 

“You’ll pay for that,” Gideon yelled, shaking his little fist at them. “Get ‘em!”

“Run,” Mabel cried, abandoning her post. Pacifica and Robbie followed her as she weaved through the crowd. “Excuse me, sorry, coming through,” she cried as she pushed through. Gideon and his bodyguards were in hot pursuit and followed them downtown. By then the crowd had thinned, giving them little protection. Passing the arcade, Robbie skidded to a halt. 

“Quick, in here,” he yelled. The two girls stopped and turned around following him inside. They closed the door and crouched under the windows, pressed against the wall as their pursuers passed. Hearing their footsteps fade, the three let out a sigh of relief. 

“That was close,” Mabel gasped, smiling at her two friends.

“What was close?” a voice asked from the window above her. Mabel screamed in terror and scrambled back to see who it was. When she saw Future Dipper’s face she breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, it’s just you.”

“Quick, get inside before Gideon sees you,” Pacifica hissed. 

“Oh, is he here?” he asked, grinning ear to ear. Robbie raised a brow at him. Honestly he didn’t like Future Dipper because it was clear the kid would grow up to be taller and bigger than him in a future, something he didn’t like to think about since he still didn’t care for Dipper in the present, but there was something else going on here. 

Mabel picked up on it too. “Are you ok, Future Bro?”

“I’m doing great,” Future Bipper replied, grinning madly as if enjoying a secret joke. 

“Over here, boss,” a voice cried from down the street and they jumped. 

“Time to go,” Robbie declared, jumping to his feet. Future Bipper gazed vaguely at him. “Did you hear me, man? Move!”

Future Dipper floated unseen over Future Bipper’s shoulder. He looked from Gideon to his possessed body. “This is bad,” he yelled. “Get out of here you three! Can’t you tell this isn’t me?”

The two burly men ran at Future Bipper, fists raised. Future Bipper’s smile didn’t falter as he swung the jumbo canon at them and knocked both men out with a single blast. The kickback was more than Future Bipper anticipated and it knocked him off his feet as well and he landed hard on the sidewalk. 

“Future Bro,” Mabel yelled, running out of the arcade. “Are you ok?”

Future Bipper burst into laughter as he sat up. “That was hilarious,” he giggled. 

“The way you shot them?” Mabel asked, confused. 

“No, falling back like that. Pain is hilarious!”

Mabel could hear a mess of alarms going off in her head as she stared at her future twin. The wide grin, the crazy laugh, wasn’t this just like Dipper had been during her sock opera? Before she could act on her suspicions, Gideon caught her attention. 

“How…how did you do that?” he stammered. “Who are you?”

“This is Future Dipper,” Pacifica boasted, emerging from the arcade. “And you better back off if you don’t want him to shoot you too!”

Future Bipper stood up and went up to Gideon, his smile temporarily failing. Gideon gazed up at him in terror. “What…what are you going to do to me?”

Toothy smile returning, Future Bipper swung the little boy over his shoulder. “Take you captive of course.”

“Put me down,” Gideon yelled, kicking his little legs. “I refuse to be treated this way.”

“But wait a second,” Mabel protested. “I thought Grunkle Ford said we shouldn’t be all together. Shouldn’t we tie him up and leave him here?”

“Yeah man, I think Mabel has the right idea,” Robbie agreed. 

Future Bipper smiled. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about it, Bleeding Heart.”

He turned away and led the way back to the town square but to Mabel it seemed the whole world was moving in slow motion. 

_“Pain is hilarious”_

_“Oh, is he here?”_

_“I wouldn’t worry about it Bleeding Heart.”_

_Bleeding Heart. Bleeding Heart._

_Wasn’t that Robbie’s symbol on the cipher wheel?_

Mabel pulled out her grappling hook and fired it at Future Bipper’s feet. If it had been the real Future Dipper, it wouldn’t have done much damage, but Bill had only limited experience controlling physical forms so the blast knocked him to the ground. “I knew something was weird about you,” she yelled. “Get out of my future brother’s body you evil triangle!”

Gideon tumbled away from him and instead of running gaped at the fallen teenager. “Evil triangle? Bill!”

Future Dipper pumped his fist into the air. “Yes! I knew I could count on you Mabel!”

Future Bipper was just as impressed. In the fall he had bitten his tongue and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. Baring his bloodstained teeth, he grinned at Mabel. His facade fell away and now they could all see his glowing yellow eyes and hear his unearthly voice no longer disguised as Future Dipper’s. “Damn family is too smart for your own good.” Standing up he grabbed the grappling hook, ripping the weapon out of Mabel’s hands. He spun it around casually. “What are you going to do now, Shooting Star?”

***

“You,” Stan yelled. “What do you want?”

Far Future Dipper sighed and jumped down from the alien saucer. “I don’t have much time to explain,” he began. “But I need your help.”

“Yeah, nice try,” Ford replied, raising his gun. “Like I’m going to trust you again.”

Impatience and rage flashed behind Far Future Dipper’s eyes and he activated his time device. With a flash of yellow light he vanished and reappeared at Ford’s side, punching him in his injured arm. Another flash and he ripped the gun out of his hands. A third flash and he was back where he had started, spinning the weapon in his left hand. “I could have killed you just now, but I didn’t,” he declared.

Ford swore loudly and glared at him. Stan put Dipper down, but kept the kid behind him in case the older version of him tried a similar display of power. 

Far Future Dipper sighed. “Look you have no reason to trust me, but there’s been a new development and I guess you could say I’m switching sides.”

“What do you mean, new development?” Dipper asked. 

His older self fixed his dark gaze on him and Dipper gasped a little. In his eyes was the same hate and malice from before, but now there was something else. Pain, fear and terror, barely controlled behind his mask of sophistication. He almost didn’t want to know what could cause such a change in his future evil self. 

“I saw the future,” Far Future Dipper replied. “Our future.”

“And?” Stan asked. 

Looking at the gun he had taken from Ford, Far Future Dipper grimaced and tossed it back to him. “And I’m going to change it.”

***

Mabel gaped at Future Bipper, recognizing the glowing eyes from that night on the catwalk. He was unfortunately right. She had no weapon now and Future Dipper was so much bigger than her it would be impossible to knock him out without one. Pacifica and Robbie drew back in terror. “Poor Shooting Star,” Future Bipper drawled. “You’re so stupid and helpless without your brother to come up with a plan. Too bad you can’t think for yourself.”

Before anyone could respond there was an electric crackle in the air, like lightning had struck nearby. Future Bipper recognized the feeling and gaped in disbelief. The timeline was changing. But why? What had triggered it?

A blast of light hit him in the back of his head and he stumbled forward, barely clinging to consciousness. Turning around his jaw dropped. “You!” he sputtered. “That’s impossible.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk to my younger self like that,” Future Mabel replied with a grin. Her dark curly hair was pulled up into pigtails and her coat was like Future Dipper’s, except it glowed with pink accents that highlighted the jewels she had bedazzled onto the hem. “I mean, we’re pretty tough but studies show that the puberty years are the most impressionable time for children.” She flipped a switch on her gun and it whined as the power charge to maximum. “So how about you pick on someone your own size, Bill?”


	7. Return of the Time Baby

Future Bipper scowled at Future Mabel. This wasn’t part of the plan. Who had caused the change in the timeline? Whoever it was he was going to make sure they were destroyed by his nightmare realm first. “No need to be so hasty,” he began, dropping the grappling hook. He kept his other hand on the jumbo canon though, a casual reminder that his weapon was more powerful than hers. “You don’t want to hurt this body, now do you?”

“I don’t know, I’m sure Dipper wouldn’t mind if it got you out,” Future Mabel replied. “So I’ll give you to three to get out or I’m going to open fire. One…”

Future Bipper took a step back, glancing at Gideon who still laid paralyzed on the ground, confused and dazed. 

“Two…”

Mabel eyed her fallen grappling hook. If she moved fast she could grab it and maybe knock Future Bipper out with it. 

“Three!” Future Mabel yelled. She fired at her possessed twin but Future Bipper dodged. Tumbling forward he scooped up Gideon and pulled the time device out of his trench coat. 

“Stop,” Mabel yelled, diving for her grappling hook. But by the time she fired her weapon, Future Bipper and Gideon was gone, either into the future or past.

“Dang it,” Future Mabel spat, stomping her foot. “Now there’s no telling when they went.”

Future Dipper looked at his hands, still transparent, and was confused about why he was still there. He was no longer attached to his body, so that might be why he was left in the present time stream. He turned his attention to Future Mabel and floated over to her. Tears stung at his eyes, springing from pure joy at the sight of her but also in frustration that he couldn’t go to her. “Mabel,” he breathed. “Is it…is it really you?”

Invisible to the assembled group, Future Dipper could only watch as his twin turned her attention to her present self who appeared just as shocked as he felt. “It’s me,” Mabel cried. “But I thought Future Dipper said you were captured by the Time Baby.”

“I was,” Future Mabel replied. “But then next thing I knew I wasn’t. It was really weird.” She looked around in confusion. “Where’s Past Dipper? This isn’t how I remember it going at all.”

Future Dipper hovered over his twin’s shoulder, soaking in the sound of her voice. If she could hear him he would tell her what was going on and warn her about Far Future Dipper, but she was deaf to him. He reached out to touch her but his hand went right through. He heaved a sigh. 

Robbie gaped at Future Mabel. Much different from her 12 year old self he was more acquainted with, at sixteen her form had already filled out considerably. She was tall, busty and had the sturdy build of her grandpa Stan. But her smile was just as sweet and her eyes lit up when she saw him. “Robbie!” She gave him a backbreaking hug. “Oh my goodness I can’t believe it’s you!”

“H-hey Mabel,” he stammered, face flushed red with infatuation. 

Future Dipper glared at him and wished he had his body back just so he could push them apart. “Don’t get any funny ideas, Robbie,” he yelled from the mindscape. “I don’t care if we are cool now, no way are you dating my sister in this or any other timeline!”

Future Mabel didn’t notice Robbie’s flushed face and instead turned her attention to Pacifica. “Hey, you’re here too!” She gave her a big hug. “I’m so happy to see all of you!” Tears shone in her eyes as she pulled away and looked at all of them. “I’m so happy.” She remembered the previous timeline. All of them had died. Every one of her friends and family, except for her and Dipper. If they were all still alive, maybe there was hope.

Wiping the tears away she looked at Mabel. “Well Past Me, you’re going to have to fill me in on the plan because this timeline in looking pretty awesome and I want to keep it that way!”

***

“What?” Stan sputtered in disbelief. 

“No way, man,” Dipper added. 

“It’s the only way,” Far Future Dipper protested. “This plan is the best plan we’ve got.”

“How is it a good plan?” Dipper replied. “Letting the Time Baby get released? I mean, isn’t that how Future Me and Future Mabel got separated?”

“Future Us,” Far Future Dipper corrected. “Look, if I just let time run its course and get the time wish from the Time Baby in my timeline, then there’s no guarantee that I won’t make a different wish in that moment. It could be the timeline just goes on the way I saw it.” 

Stan rubbed a hand to his forehead. “That was way too many ‘time’s in one sentence for me. Time travel gives me a headache.”

Ford ignored his brother’s griping. “So let’s say we believe you and let the Time Baby out in this timeline so you can ask the time wish from him and change things. How do we know that you won’t turn on us anyways?”

Far Future Dipper didn’t appear phased by Ford’s hostile tone, even though Present Dipper considered his vicious way with words to be his most lethal attribute. “You don’t,” Far Future Dipper replied. “But what other choice do we really have?”

There was a rumble behind them as the alien craft fired up it’s engines and the four Pines moved away. “Besides,” the oldest Dipper added, yelling over the noise of the engines. “It’s too late to stop the Time Baby now.”

Future Bipper appeared in the past in a flash of light, Gideon still squirming under his arm. He only jumped backwards one hour, that was more than enough time to find the final member of the wheel. 

“Put me down,” Gideon demanded. “I called off the deal with you, remember?”

“Oh, this isn’t about the deal anymore,” Future Bipper replied. “This is much bigger. So hold still or you’ll force me to take more extreme measures.”

His threat silenced the young boy and Future Bipper was glad his new body was much larger than the last one. He had all but forgotten how a physical form felt and it was still hard to maneuver with the ease he had in his energy shape. 

Setting off towards the edge of town, he walked as quickly as he could without falling over. McGuckett had fled the town before the portal opened and was no doubt hiding in his last safe place. 

Scuttlebutt Island was a pain to get to and Future Bipper silently wished the old scientist had some other less cumbersome hideout. Throwing Gideon into the nearest boat, he grinned at him, leaning casually on the jumbo canon. “Now how’s about you start this thing up for me? I don’t want to do all the work around here.”

They had one hour to collect McGuckett and get back to the town. Once all the pieces were in place, there was nothing that could stand in his way.

***

Future Mabel knew what the rumbling noise was as soon as she heard it. It was the sound that haunted her dreams and made her sit up at night in a cold sweat. “It’s coming,” she breathed. 

“What?” Mabel asked. 

“The Time Baby. They’ve found him.” Future Mabel swallowed hard, steeling herself for what was going to come. “We need to get to the Stans and Present Dipper, fast.”

“But Ford said…” Mabel started.

“I know, stay separated, but we’ve got bigger problems than that now. And they don’t know that Bipper has Gideon, so they need to be warned.”

Pacifica raised a brow. “Bipper?”

“It’s what we call Bill-Dipper,” Mabel explained. “This isn’t the first time he’s been possessed.”

Robbie shuddered at the thought. “Yeesh, as if three Dippers wasn’t bad enough.”

Mabel led the way to where the alien craft was. The group halted with the saucer soared over their heads, making for the center of town. They watched it go, both awe and terror in their gazes. Future Dipper frowned deeply from his spot in the mindscape. “This is bad. Really bad.”

“Mabel?” a voice called from behind. 

The Stan twins and Present Dipper appeared from the forest, running towards them. “Dipper,” Mabel yelled. “Look who we found! It’s me!”

Future Mabel looked past them and saw the familiar form of Far Future Dipper also emerging from the forest. “Look out,” she yelled, producing her grappling hook from her coat. 

“Wait, hold on,” Dipper protested. But before he could get out another word she fired, clocking Far Future Dipper in the jaw with the heavy metal hook. The young man yelled out in pain and fell to the ground. Future Dipper jabbed his hand into the air, his celebration unseen by the others. 

“Yeah! Good shot, sis!”

“Quick, get away from him,” Future Mabel cried, reloading her weapon for another blow. “He’s dangerous.”

“Don’t shoot,” Dipper yelled, putting himself between Future Mabel and his Far Future self. “He’s on our side now.”

Future Mabel blew a raspberry in disbelief. “Yeah right. I love you bro, but you’re hardcore evil in the far future, so stay back.”

Far Future Dipper let out a quiet laugh and stood, still clutching his injured jaw. “Leave her alone, Past Me. I probably deserved that.” His dark eyes looked at her, a touch of warmth entering his usually cold gaze. “After all, I left her in that time tube for over ten years.” He side stepped Dipper, drawing closer to his twin. Future Mabel took a step back, eyes wide and mouth trembling between a grimace and a snarl. He ignored her expression and moved until the grappling hook was pressed into his chest. Grabbing onto the cold metal he bowed his head, not daring to look into her eyes. 

“I’m sorry, Mabel,” he muttered, her name feeling foreign on his tongue. “I’m sorry that I abandoned you.” He looked up, tears glistening in his eyes and both Mabels gasped when they saw them. “But I’m asking you to trust me. Let me make this right.” He reached out to her, hand trembling. “Please?”

Future Dipper watched in confusion. How was this possible? His Far Future self was good now? He felt a little indignant that it was his evil self that got to welcome Mabel back and not him. He swore to get Bill back for taking this away from him. Stupid triangle.

Future Mabel lowered her weapon and put her hand on his outstretched arm, lowering his hand onto her shoulder. “Alright. I’ll trust you.”

“Me too,” Mabel cried, tears forming in her eyes. She ran and hugged Far Future Dipper, her little arms wrapping around his legs. “I’m so glad you’re not going to be evil forever.”

“Well, about that,” Far Future Dipper started. “There’s something I need to tell you all about Bill and I.”

Future Mabel waved his explanation away. “We know you made a deal with him already,” she grumbled. “Good job on that by the way because Bill just used Future Dipper’s body to take Gideon back in time and do who knows what. Don’t tell me you made another one with him in the future that’s about to come back and bite you?”

“It’s worse than that,” Far Future Dipper replied, stepping away from both Mabels. He looked at the assembled group, a deep frown on his tired face. “Bill is me,” he announced. “Or us, rather,” he amended, looking at Present Dipper. 

“What?” Future Mabel and Future Dipper said at the same time. 

“That can’t be possible,” Mabel cried. “If he’s you then how come he’s possessing…oh my goodness.” She put her hands to her mouth. “That’s why he made a deal with you! Of course he would want Dipper’s body because it’s his body too, technically.”

“Exactly,” Far Future Dipper affirmed. “So that’s why we need to stop the future from happening. Some change has already started from the looks of Future Mabel being here, but Far Future Mabel is still missing which means it’s not enough.” He clenched his gloved hand tightly. “We’re going to let the Time Baby out, make it look like I’ve captured you and when I get the time wish, I’m going to wish Bill out of the future. But this can only work if you all cooperate.”

They all looked at each other, understandably hesitant to trust the man who broke into the bunker and tried to kill both Stans and Mabel only a few hours before. Mabel broke the silence. “Well, we already said we were going to trust you, so I’m in.”

Dipper nodded. “Me too. I mean, I know deep down no version of me can be 100 percent evil.”

The others nodded until there was only Ford who hadn’t given some sign of agreement. The idea that his great nephew was the past version of the demon who had tricked and possessed him was a hard one to swallow. Stan jabbed his twin in the ribs, eliciting a jolt from him. He scowled and walked up to Far Future Dipper, his eyes cold and menacing. “I’ll go along with your plan, boy, but I want it to be absolutely clear that if you betray us, I will kill you. Understood?”

Far Future Dipper gave him a wry smile. “Crystal clear, Grunkle Ford,” he replied. The nickname made Ford scowl but then he smiled back. Far Future Dipper turned to the others, clapping his hands together. “Let’s get to work then. Anyone know where we can find some rope?”

***

Fiddleford Mcgucket didn’t have a full accounting for his memories yet, but he felt confident that all the important ones were there. He remembered enough from his time with Stanford to know when the clock reached zero the end was here. He had programmed the timer into the laptop for just this sort of reason. After all, he knew there was the real possibility he might not remember there was danger on the horizon thirty years in the future. Down in the depths of the bunker Stanford and he had constructed on Scuttlebutt Island, he felt sure he was safe enough for now. 

There was a rumbling above him, as if something was pounding on the hatch. He told himself it was just a beaver or some other animal, but all the same he scooted back into the far corner, making his thin body as small as possible, listening as the pounding turned into the squeak of metal on metal as the handle turned. 

Part of him wanted to cry out and demand the intruder identify themselves, but the more cautious part kept him silent in hopes that whoever it was wouldn’t see him curled up in the corner. After all, his ragged clothing all but blended in with the boxes and refuse that littered the floor. 

“Oh glasses,” a familiar voice called. “I know you’re down there, so why don’t you just come on up?”

Fiddleford squeaked in terror, burrowing deeper in the pile of junk he lay in. He knew that voice. It was one he barely remembered but one he didn’t need to remember to fear. 

A single eye in the center of a glowing yellow triangle. 

A top hat and cane. 

A cackling laugh that echoed through his memories from another time. 

Bill Cipher. How did he find him?

A strangely normal figure descended the ladder, his coat glowing a bright blue for some reason. His eyes glowed yellow, like Bill, pupils long and thin like a snake. “I hoped we wouldn’t have to do this the hard way,” he grinned, leering down at him. “But one way or the other, you’re coming with me.” Fiddleford tried to scamper away but Future Bipper caught him by the straps of his overalls, holding him up like an animal. 

“After all this time, all my planning, finally, all the pawns will be in place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaand that's as far as I got with it. I'm going to try and finish this up some day. Hopefully. Maybe. We'll see.

**Author's Note:**

> I am starting to notice a trendin my stories. I really do like writing characters meeting alternate/evil versions of themselves. Oh well. Hope you enjoyed it!


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